How to convert a PC from BIOS mode to UEFI mode

Upgrading your Windows 7 PC to Windows 8 and considering the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) mode? If your PC supports it, this is a great time to change to UEFI. Why? UEFI mode can help your PC start faster, lets you use hard drives larger than 2 terabytes (TB), and can help you set up features like Secure Boot. Many Windows 7 PCs support UEFI but were set to boot to BIOS mode.

To switch to UEFI mode, you’ll need to do a few things: find the setting in the boot menus that enables UEFI booting, convert the entire drive to the GUID Partition Table (GPT) format, and install Windows again.

Step 1: Find the setting in the boot menus that enables UEFI booting

This differs from PC to PC. But typically, you press a key to enter the boot menus, look for an option like "UEFI Boot Mode", and enable it.